Blessed
by fadedelegance
Summary: Posting a story on my birthday! 8D Post-"Immortal". Connie reaches out to Mike after his confrontation with Lt. Van Buren. Rated T for language.


**Disclaimer****: Dick Wolf and NBC own "Law and Order". I don't. **

** A/N: I DVR'd some "L+O" reruns from TNT, and "Immortal" was one of them. Oh my God, you guys, I totally forgot about the scene when Van Buren is completely horrible to Mike by saying he's "as bad as Fema Labs". Connie looked uncomfortable and sad. Mike looked _crushed_. Oh my God, he was so hurt! It broke my heart!**

** This fic is for all my amazing readers, as well as S. Epatha Merkerson, Alana de la Garza, and Linus Roache for such an incredibly well-acted scene. Especially Linus for making me wanna cry with the way he portrayed Mike's heartbroken expression. XOXOXO **

** I swear to God, every lead actor on that show was SO underrated! **

** But yes, this fic was inspired by that heart-wrenching scene, and I really hope you enjoy it! ~ Abby**

** P.S. If any of you know where to send letters to "L+O" cast members, let me know, and you get awesome points and my undying gratitude! ^_^ **

**Blessed**

"I'm going to order some dinner," Connie said. "It's been a while since we've had Chinese. How does that sound? What would you like?"

Mike sat at his desk, staring into space, half-heartedly tossing his baseball into his mitt.

"It's all right—I'm not hungry. You go ahead," he muttered.

"I think you are hungry," Connie said gently, walking over to him and tenderly resting her hand on his shoulder. "You just feel too guilty to eat."

Mike sighed.

"Do you think she's right, Connie?" he asked, the pain in his voice pronounced, even though he spoke softly. "_Am_ I that bad?"

"No!" Connie said gently. "No, you're not, Mike. You are _not_…Mike, she's angry. Look at it from her perspective: she has cancer. It kills thousands of people every year. She's terrified for her life. She's scared she may be dying. She's angry at the world because of what she's going through. If she's religious at all, she probably feels like God or whoever she believes in has abandoned her…She's in a horrible place right now. She probably wakes up every morning, thinking 'this day could be my last'. Her hope of beating this disease is probably hanging by a thread…She was right in that you shouldn't have blind-sighted her like that. You can be pretty thoughtless sometimes, in that you say things without thinking about how your words could affect others. However, on the other hand, I definitely think she was out of line. That was a _terrible_ thing to say. You would _never_ exploit a dying man for money. How many times have you ranted about how despicable it is that Nathan Robinson's family has to live in squalor, while those bastards at Fema Labs are laughing their way to the bank without a care in the world? How many times? Mike, I'm around you far more often than she is. She doesn't know you like I do. And she never will. She's just in a horrible place right now, and she's probably looking for someone to blame. She feels angry, she's terrified, she's probably confused and lonely, and she probably feels cut-off from all of us because we're healthy—because we can't even begin to imagine what she's going through. There's probably some jealousy there, too. If I were her, I'd probably feel some resentment towards all the healthy people in my life, too…Please don't dwell on it, Mike. Please."

Mike stood up and set his baseball and his mitt down on his desk.

"You know," he said softly, "part of me wishes people would stop acting like I'm the anti-Christ…then again, maybe I am."

Connie looked him directly in the eyes.

"Stop it, Mike," she said firmly. "Stop it right now…Do you have any idea how much I hate hearing you talk this way about yourself?"

"You do?"

"Yes! I can't stand it, it breaks my heart! It breaks my heart because it's bull, all of it! None of it's true…You're a good man, Mike—you really are. Yes, you make mistakes, but we all do. You're just like the rest of us—you're human. Please don't take what Van Buren said to heart because it's bullshit. You are a _good man_."

Silence came as they stood there, face-to-face, making eye contact.

Connie tenderly rested her hand on his arm.

Mike wanted to kiss her so badly.

"That means more to me than you know," he said softly, very humbled. "Thank you, Connie."

"It's true," Connie said warmly.

She melted at his expression. It was so loving.

He leaned in a bit closer, the soft look in his eyes asking if he could kiss her.

Connie leaned in closer, giving him permission.

Mike gently touched her face and then kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him as she kissed him back. He put his arms around her.

They broke apart a little while later.

"You're always here when I need you," Mike said softly. "I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"Of course I am," Connie said warmly.

"It goes both ways," Mike said. "I hope you know that. I hope you believe that."

"I do," said Connie.

"Would you like to go out to dinner with me?"

"I knew you were hungry," Connie gently bantered. "And yes, I would love to."

"Really?" Mike asked, not sure he'd heard her correctly. "I mean…I'm asking you out on a date…"

"I know you are," Connie said warmly. "And I'm saying yes," she added, touching his face.

She kissed him on the cheek and then held him close, her head resting on his shoulder. Mike held her tightly.

"Just let it go, Mike," she said. "Please. She couldn't be more wrong about you. You have dedicated your life to getting justice for those who've had their lives taken from them. You give them and their families a voice—you fight for them every day. That makes you a lot of enemies, but have you let that stop you? No, you haven't. You _continue_ to fight for murder victims and their families. Now you tell me—are those the actions of a heartless person whose only motivation is money? Yes, there have been times when you've been thoughtless. Yes, there have been times when you've gotten too carried away with winning and lost sight of why you do this. But that is _not _the norm. That is not the norm for you."

By this point, Connie had lifted her head up from off his shoulder so she could look at him as she spoke.

"Case in point? Me. During Woll's trial. I knew you weren't caught up in winning. You were fighting for me—as hard as you could, I could see it. You also sincerely didn't want Woll's victims to slip through the cracks. You were fighting for them because you truly wanted justice for them. Nine times out of ten, Mike, you are like that: sincere, genuine, compassionate, selfless. Yes, you make mistakes, but you're human—just like the rest of us. Mike, you prosecute because you love to fight for what's right, not so you can get convictions to make yourself look good. Nine times out of ten, that's what you're like. How do I know that? Because I know you. So who are you, Mike: someone who only cares about positive results, looking good, and money—or someone who stands up and fights for what's right because he's a good man with a huge heart? Hint: the latter is the correct answer."

"You are honestly the most incredible woman I've ever met," Mike said, very moved by her words.

"Mike…" Connie said softly, speechless.

"It's true," Mike said. "I should've said this to you after the Woll case—after we threw the son-of-a-bitch in prison. Connie…I love you. I love you, but I don't deserve you."

Connie gently kissed him on the lips.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?" she said softly.

"I can do that," Mike said, very humbled.

Connie embraced him again, once again resting her head against his shoulder.

"By the way—I love you, too," she said.

Mike hugged her tightly, feeling incredibly blessed.


End file.
